Tuesday, July 14, 2009

I'll Be You and You Be Me

So, Ruth Krauss was many things. She was wife to Crockett Johnson (Harold and the Purple Crayon), a children's book giant in her own right, and (most important for our purposes here) mentor to Mr. Sendak when he was just coming out of the gate. The when and why of how they met in 1950 is the stuff of children's book legend, and Maurice might never have become the Sendak we all know and love today had it not been for the breaks and inspiration he gained from knowing her. Really, you'd be hard pressed to find books more childlike and wonderful than the ones these two came together on. Their third collaboration after A Hole Is To Dig and A Very Special House, I'll Be You and You Be Me features the trademark look and feel these two were known for creating together. The child's eye view of the world. The funny expressions. The dainty line drawings flooded with whimsy. These little books feel like such a treasure to hold, it's almost like being let in on a little secret whisper.

The care and wonder in these books is really a testament to the sort of friendship these two must have shared. What an honor that they shared it with the world through these stories. Now that I've waxed all lovey-dovey on things I really know not much of...

love is when you send postcardsmore than to other people--love is they could push you in the grassand it doesn't even hurt--love is the same as likeonly you spell them different--only more of the same, sort of--Love has more stuff in it!love is you give thema leg off your gingerbread man.No, two legs.And the head!

All I want is sugar off the button

I would've loved these as a child... the teeny tiny drawings with such detail and emotion. Filled with poems and stories and delightfully abstract sentiments, the mix of words and pictures are just heaven. As an adult, reading Krauss' work reminds me that childhood is a special time... when we all think like poets and use words as toys rather than simply a means of communication. Darling, darling, darling.

7 comments:

I have a lot of Ruth Krauss' books, mostly for the illustrations by Maurice Sendak (and 1 with Marc Simont). Some of Ruth Krauss' ideas are a little strange for me, but Sendak's illustrations are always appealing. I recommend pre-reading them before reading them aloud to your children. Not to censor them, but to get their feel and rhythm down.

Love the blog, just "liked " you on FB as a way to bookmark it so that I could come back and find it later. I run a blog about illustrators and I've already found some nice treasures on your site.My blog is http://artthatdoesntsuck.wordpress.com/so long and thanks.Brett